


Wreathed in Gratitude

by RookieTheIce369



Series: Tentative Tales [1]
Category: Short Story - Fandom
Genre: Alleyway, Christmas, Dinner, Heartwarming, Other, Warm, Wholesome, Winter, diner, homeless, kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26251894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RookieTheIce369/pseuds/RookieTheIce369
Summary: A wandering boy finds a homeless girl in town and gives her possibly the best Christmas gift she could ask for.
Series: Tentative Tales [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907098





	Wreathed in Gratitude

The 15-year-old kept a steady pace down the sidewalk of town. He kept his head forward but eyes looking at the phone in his hand. His hand felt cold due to the weather but if anything he could just put it into his thin zipped jacket pocket and pull out the other one.  
It was around the beginning of Christmas break so the cold made sense since it being winter. Sure it was chilly but surprisingly there was only a little snow. A flew clumps here and there but it was nothing too big. Not yet anyways. The cold was uncomfortable but not unbearable. It could easily be covered with a jacket like he was wearing.  
After browsing the public chat with his pals, he shut his phone off and stuffed it and his hand into his warm, brown flannel jacket pocket, continuing down the sidewalk.  
He passed a woman giggling with her friend, shopping bag in hand. He looked ahead to see the shop they must have up ahead. Not much in town besides a few shops. Not much that a 15-year-old boy would care for anyways. He really only goes to town to hang with his friends or on walks like these.  
Evening was approaching fast and darkness began to roll in and consume the sky, but he was making his way home already. No need to rush.  
His phone went off again. He reached into his pocket with a sigh. One of his friends is bugging him about something. He stopped in place, getting near the wall of a building to rest against as to not block anyone else walking down the sidewalk. He saw what his friend had sent him.  
“Pfft, Jesus…” he softly said to himself, staring at the dumb picture that was presented to him. He began texting back a reply.  
A noise interrupted him. The teen lifted his head with a puzzled look. The sound didn’t sound like what you’d expect in a town. In town you would hear walking footsteps, passing cars, what audible wind and opening doors of the few buildings, all covered by the dim hue of light from the nearby shops.  
This was something different. Not threatening, but just interesting and out of place. A scratch of a hard sheet but it wasn’t harsh. Just a thin plate of metal scraping against the floor.  
More out of place noises dug into his ears. This time he was curious. He turned his head, looking down the sidewalk. He only realized now that he was next to an opening to what he would presume is an alleyway.  
Curious about the odd noises, he leaned closer. He relaxed the lean he had on the wall and began to peer around the corner. He didn’t know why but he was moving slow, probably because he was unsure of what he was allowing himself to see.  
That unsureness turned to processing, then to shock.  
Staring into the dingy alleyway, a woman sat on her knees, reaching into a rather damp box. She had her back towards him, but he could make out that it was a girl because her hair was long and reached right about near the waist. A headband wrapped around the top of her head, but the color looked faded and the dark blue was slowly shifting to a dingy grey.  
He examined for a moment, watching her root in the box before an audible sigh left her and she pushed it away. Then, she slid herself backwards, pressing herself against the wall of the building that he was also leaning against.  
It took him a moment but he realized what he was looking at. She was sitting on a layer of cardboard on the ground next to a dumpster can, presumably to stop oncoming winds from that direction. A rather dirty blanket rested near her and he only just now caught on that her clothing was nearly as dirty as well. Withered from either age or lack of care.  
She sat up against the wall, legs hunched up to her chest and arms wrapped around them. Her expression was grim and hurt if anything a remnant of wanted desperation. After analyzing what laid around her and the area she was occupying, it struck him on what he was seeing.  
She was homeless. Homeless and visibly in sorrow over it.  
His phone buzzed. He looked back at his screen. It was his buddy asking if everything was alright since he was in the middle of texting and suddenly just went silent  
“Yeah-hang on a second…” he softly said to himself with visible worry in his shallow voice.  
He deleted the message he was going to send and replaced it, telling him to hold on for a moment, sending it. He leaned into the alley and peered once again. She moved her arms to cross over her knees. She stared ahead with an audible sniff coming out of her nostrils as she remained seated.  
He leaned out and dialled a familiar number on his phone and holding it up to his ear. He stood in place, position swaying slightly before the other end picked up.  
“Hello?” a woman's voice answered.  
“Hey, Mom,” he replied.  
“Lee, there you are! I was starting to get worried. You almost home? Dinner is almost done-”  
“Yeah-Uhm, hey Mom, you won’t believe what I just found…”  
“What is it, honey?”  
He took a moment before replying. “I-I just found a homeless girl sitting in an alley, rooting for stuff.”  
“Homeless?” he could hear the shock rise in her voice. “Are you sure she’s not faking? Some people will.” she then dared to ask.  
Lee shook his head, despite her not seeing it. “No. Looks official. She’s got a makeshift bed of cardboard, blanket and everything…”  
Silence grew on his mother’s end for a moment. “How old is she…?” she gently asked.  
Lee peered back into the alley. “Uhm… I-I don’t know, young 19, maybe 20? It’s hard to tell.”  
“Does she look okay?”  
“Uhm…” Lee took a moment to properly examine her. “She looks rough. Dirty grey hoodie and jeans. Thin. Long hair and the-” he just now saw that the back of her hair seemed to fade to a dark blue. “-and slightly dark blue fade at the end of her hair”  
“What about her face? Does she look healthy?”  
“No…” Lee confirmed. “She’s pale, noticeable bags under her eyes. Maybe starved but I can’t tell that part… I feel bad for her.” he admitted.  
“Well…” his mother took a moment, obviously unsure of what she was going to say next. “As much as I hate to admit it, sweetie… I-I don’t know what you can do-”  
“That’s actually why I’m calling you-” he interrupted.  
“Why? What are you asking?”  
“I’m asking if you can hold my dinner off for the night. I’m gonna help her.”  
“What?” her voice jumped. “Sweetie, I understand you’re trying to be nice, but you don’t know her-.”  
Thunder rumbled and Lee looked up to the sky. “Mom, come on. Just save me the leftovers. It’ll be fine. I’m not just gonna let her sit out here.”  
“Lee…” he could hear her voice drop.  
He peered back into the alleyway. She reached over her hunched knees and slid a rather large bowl out to the open before her. She glanced up at the sky.  
Lee reeled back around. “Aw-Mom, come on, she just placed a bowl to catch rainwater, please…”  
“I…” she paused before a sigh left her. “Okay…”  
A sigh of relief left Lee. “Thank you…” he said.  
His mother sighed. “Yeah… no problem. The leftovers will be in the fridge for you.”  
“Thanks…” he hung up the phone.  
A determined sigh was let out of him as he stuffed his phone back into one of his jacket pockets. He leaned against the wall for a moment, preparing himself. He leaned his head back, taking a deep inhale through his nose and expelling it back out. He rounded into the alleyway.  
The girl still kept forward, resting her chin into her crossed arms over her hunched knees. She didn’t acknowledge his presence or at least didn’t notice him before her head shifted away a little. An audible sniff left her, presumably on the verge of crying. The verge turned over the edge as she buried her face into her knees. A sniff jumped out of her nose.  
Lee approached and stood next to her.  
A sob leapt out of her before she noticed the stranger’s presence. She turned and lifted her head to him with a curious but shocked look. An expression that showed how nervous she was that someone even approached her.  
Lee smiled warmly as he meekly leaned forward, extending an open hand out to her. “Hey, come with me.”  
* * *  
A cup of tea was placed onto the table along with the mug of a cappuccino. The girl stared at it with a blank look as the waiter leaned back. “Here you go. Your food is about halfway done.”  
“Thank you.” Lee appreciated.  
The polite blonde haired gentleman, nodded, as he walked off to do his job.  
Lee watched him walk off as he then turned his head to the girl sitting across from him in the booth. She stared at the cup full of steaming hot tea with a rather uncertain look. It was hard to point out what emotion it was. Lee gripped the handle of his mug and took an audible sip from his cappuccino.  
The girl across from him was hesitant to even hold her tea before her hands slowly came up and wrapped themselves around the nice white glass cup.  
From the steam coming out of the murky colored water, holding onto the cup must be nice and comfortable, holding onto something warm and soothing after being out in the cold for who knows how long.  
She lightly blew into the tea before lifting it up with both hands and taking a sip. Her face tightened for a moment as she put the cup down. Must be really hot.  
Lee took another sip from his coffee-like drink before sighing in satisfaction. “I bet it must feel nice to actually have something nice and warm again after a while. No offence.”  
The girl lifted her head to him. “Yeah. It’s nice.” she gently admitted.  
Silence grew for a moment before Lee then jumped with a laugh. “Pfft, wow. I brought you to dinner and I don’t even know your name and you don’t even know mine,” he sort of chuckled. “Whoops, heh.”  
The girl stared at him for a moment as Lee then leaned back. “I’m Lincoln, but please, call me Lee,” he properly greeted, “Nice to meet ya.”  
The blue haired girl’s eyes looked to a direction for a moment. She then gently lifted a finger and mildly pointed to herself. “Claire.” she replied.  
Lee raised a brow, taken aback that she responded. “Claire? Hm, nice name.”  
A timid smile flashed from her for a second.  
Silence extended for another moment as Claire turned her head to examine around the might as well be a barren small restaurant as Lee took another sip from his drink. It wasn't a big place. May as well be the size of a diner, in fact, it might just be that. A building lined against the sidewalk of the town. The one that had booths lining the large windows like the one they were sitting in now.  
Lee then actually started to boil up a conversation. “So uh… how often you get out?” he asked.  
The girl looked back forward to him. “Not often.” she gently replied.  
He stared pondering for a moment. “Anything you like to do? I play the drums.”  
She shook her head.  
Lee’s lips curled in on themselves as he nodded. She then reached forward and grabbed her tea with both hands and took another drink.  
Their waiter was suddenly right next to them, placing the plates onto the table. “There you two go.”  
Lee looked up to him. “Thanks.” he smiled.  
The gentleman, once again, nodded and took off to do his work.  
Lee glanced at the plate before him, getting a small glimpse of the decent chunk of juicy chicken and the pile of rice on the side. He looked back up to Claire with a comforting smile. “The food they serve here is really good.”  
He grabbed his fork and knife as Claire stared at the plate in front of her. The same expression she had when she looked at the tea.  
Lee positioned his fork and knife to his crisp piece of chicken, ready to saw into it with his knife before his eyes looked to Claire. She was still sitting with her hands on her lap, but she was staring at the plate of similar appetizing food he had before her with a rather uncertain stare. It was less more uncertainty, more of bland shock that he was doing all of this for her, despite the two barely knowing each other,  
Lee smiled as he adjusted himself in his seat. “Well don’t just look at it, bud. I bought two plates for a reason. Dig in.”  
Claire looked up to him and saw him begin sawing away at his meal with the knife and fork in place, before lifting up a nice piece of the food with the fork and taking a bite. She stared back at her plate and blinked, eyes wide as a smile began to slowly and properly form onto her, as she gently reached for her fork and knife.  
They both sat in silence for a moment as they began steadily eating their food.  
Lee took an appetizing bite of his chicken before he then tilted his head with a tentative look. “What do you often eat?”  
Claire looked at him again. “Uh… mainly canned food or just water,” she replied. “Not… really great water, but water. Other times whatever I can scrape up I use on the vending machine down from where I live and get a few sodas or juices.”  
Lee listened to her speaking her gentle and kind voice. So soft and sweet, but tainted with a nervous shake. He then asked another question. “How often… do you make money?” He was hesitant to ask that one.  
Claire shook her head. “I don’t make money,” she hesitantly admitted. “I find it.”  
“You… don’t have a job?”  
She mildly shook her head.  
Lee leaned back in his seat a little more, allowing the silence to sink ever so slightly. His heart then felt sick and so did his mind about the next question he was about to ask. He really didn’t want to but curiosity and general concern got the better of him. “If you uh-don’t mind me asking-...”  
Claire lifted her eyes in response to his suddenly slow gentle tone.  
“Uhm… how did you… y’know, end up living in an alleyway? What happened…?”  
Claire grew quiet, unsure of how to respond or either she just didn’t want to.  
“I… I grew up with a not so pleasant life…” she gently admitted.  
Lee tilted his head again, “How so?” he took another bite of his chicken.  
“M-My parents just one day… stopped caring for me.”  
Lee’s eyes widened.  
“I can’t remember when it started, but they just suddenly… stopped caring for me. I think at the age of 14, they stopped buying me stuff. Stopped buying me clothes, stopped buying me food, stop buying me anything… They began treating me like I just… never existed.”  
Lee stared in awe and at the same time, sorrow, listening to her story.  
“I failed classes. They wouldn’t help me with the work. The moment I turned 18 though, that’s when I was kicked out of the house.”  
“Oh my god…”  
Claire nodded meekly. “They just packed up what essentials I needed and just threw me out. I have no other family members who live here, nor friends. Just them. I’ve been living on the streets for about a year now… Never bothered with college. How could I? I never even had a proper Christmas...”  
“She’s 19, then,” Lee confirmed to himself in his head. “So you’ve just… been living on your own in an alleyway for nearly a year…?”  
Claire shook her head, grabbing her cup of tea. “I just recently moved into the alley a few months ago. It’s the closest I can call home as of right now…”  
Lee stared at the tabletop in a ponder.  
He then lifted his head and stared at her in disdain, but the disdain wasn’t at her. Her expression looked hurt, depressed as she stared into the murky water that was her tea she still had cupped in her hands.  
“I’m uh… I’m sorry,” he said.  
Claire lifted her head to him.  
“It’s not often you come across relatives who don’t care,” Lee admitted though he wasn’t too sure about what he said himself. He then warmly smiled at her in reassurance. She smiled back before they returned to their meal.  
* * *  
Lee placed his spoon onto his now empty plate, finishing his pile of rice. He leaned back in his seat, groaning in satisfaction. “I forget how good they make their food,” he said.  
An exhale of a laugh left Claire. She sat patiently but it was hard to see if it was being timid or not. She had her hands on her lap again. She finished her food much quicker. Lee didn’t judge though. He doesn’t know how long she has gone without a proper meal. Let alone a hot one.  
Lee lifted a fist to his mouth and gave a low belch. “Woah, ’scuse me,” he said to himself.  
Claire wrapped her hands around her cup of tea again and took another drink.  
A vibration than came from Lee’s pocket. He reached in and pulled out his phone to see what the notification was.  
It wasn’t a notification. Someone was calling. He read the caller who was trying to reach out to him to himself. ‘Mom’  
Lee sat up in his seat. “Uh, sorry, I gotta take this.” he apologized. “I’ll be back in a minute.”  
Claire nodded as Lee shuffled out from his seat and approached the nearby door.  
He pulled it open as the bell above chimed as he stepped out into the night. Despite being dark, the streetlamps gave it that little illumination that was pleasant to look at and despite the earlier thunder, it wasn’t raining, at least not pouring anyways. It was spitting here and there but it was barely noticeable.  
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, pressed the answer button and lifted his phone up to his ear. “Hey, Mom.” he greeted.  
“Hey, sweetie. How is it going?”  
“It’s going good, actually,” he confirmed to her. “Just actually took her to get something hot to eat.”  
“Wait, you did?” his mother’s voice jumped.  
Lee nodded, again to the dismay of her not seeing it. “Yeah. She needed it. I wasn’t just going to see her and let her possibly starve for the night.”  
“Wow, that’s… really sweet of you, honey.” He could hear the surprise in her voice, but at the same time, the kindliness lingered in the back, showing how actually proud she was despite how odd it may be.  
“Yeah. We talked for a bit. Her name is Claire.” he revealed her name to her. “Sweet, shy, quiet-”  
“She didn’t buy anything expensive, did she?”  
“Nah, I don’t care. I just ordered the two specials they had. I would gladly let her order the damn building if I had the money and if she even would.”  
“Jeez, honey. Was she starving that bad?”  
Lee nodded before his expression dropped. He looked up to the dark sky to check the weather. Nothing changed. Still spitting a few drops here and there. His mom noticed his sudden silence.  
“You okay sweetie…? You’re quiet.”  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m-uh… I’m fine.”  
His mother could hear his voice go soft. “You sure? You sound upset. You feel bad?”  
“No-No, it’s not that,” he replied with a monotone voice. “Well, yeah, actually. It’s just that-”  
He paused. He tried his best to remember what he heard from her and how she was treated. “She… basically grew up being a nobody…” he admitted to his Mom.  
“Oh? How?”  
“Her parents basically started to ignore her when she turned 14. Pretty much pretended she didn’t exist. Didn’t feed her, didn’t buy her anything, didn’t nurture her… nothing. The moment she turned 18 she was kicked out to the streets with only little essentials.”  
“Oh my god…” his Mother’s voice jumped up. “S-She doesn’t have anywhere to stay?”  
“No… she has no other family members here. Just her and her parents and I don’t know where the hell they are…”  
“Jeez…”  
“Yeah.” Lee sighed. “But despite the neglected past, she’s actually really charming. Shy, calm albeit nervous, and really friendly.”  
A charming sigh left his mother. “Wow… sounds like she’s a really sweet person.”  
Lee smiled. “Yeah...”  
He looked over his shoulder and through the window to see Claire still seated. Their waiter approached and spoke something that he could not make out, but he guessed correctly when Claire replied and the waiter nodded with a smile and took the teacup, presumably for a refill.  
“She’s a nice girl.” he sweetly smiled.  
A thought then struck his mind. He faced back forward, mouth open to speak but he stopped himself. He processed what he wanted to say and what he wanted to say was actually big. “Hey, Uhm… Mom, can I ask a rather… outlandish question?”  
“Go ahead.” she kindly said.  
Lee looked back to the window. “Can Claire, Uhm…” he stopped himself as he prepared what to ask next. His heartbeat hard inside of him as he was nervous to ask such a question. “Can… we take her in?” he asked.  
Her silence was a sign of shock. “Lee, I-I don’t think we can-”  
“Mom, please,” he begged. “I don’t wanna walk her back to the dumpster she calls ‘home’ and awkwardly say goodbye. Plus, winter is literally staring at us and she has basically nothing.”  
“Honey-”  
“Please, she has been living on the streets for nearly a year now, nobody has batted an eye at her, she’s 19 and alone-”  
He stopped himself as he let his mother process. It took a moment but she managed to respond.  
“Lee, I-I know you want to help her, and trust me, I do too, but-”  
“Then why don’t we?” he urged. “Please, she has nobody. She’s never even had a proper Christmas...”  
“Sweetie-”  
“Mom, her mindset is basically that if her parents didn’t care for her, then what makes her think a stranger will? I-I’m trying to break that… I-I’m probably the only real person she talked to and who cares about her. You possibly a close second.”  
Silence extended. His mother didn’t even mutter a word. Lee took her silence into consideration of her thought process. “Please…”  
“Lee I-...” she stopped herself before sighing. “What will we do with her? I understand you want to give her the proper family she deserves and trust me, I wish we could, but how would we handle it? My pay is slowly increasing but I don’t think it’ll be enough to sustain us until winter is over.”  
“Well-” Lee wanted to protest but his mind told him not too. It was obvious that his mother felt equal sympathy for her, but he doesn't want to leave her out in the cold rain and upcoming snow. “Well, can she stay with us for now? At least for the winter so she doesn't freeze…?”  
His mother grew quiet. An audible clink of platter came from the other end, which he presumed was her cleaning up her dinner. A sigh then left her. “It is going to be probably the coldest winter we’ve had in a while this year…” she softly said to herself.  
The silence extended for a period of time. Lee stood, holding his phone up to his ear, shifting his feet in place. The back of his hand felt cold from the coming wind, but he didn’t bother with it.  
“Okay… okay…” she then replied before sighing, “She can stay with us for the winter. Who knows, maybe I will change my mind and we can take her in.”  
Lee smiled, his heart rate flaring up in excitement and relief if anything, more happiness. “Oh my god, thank you, Mom! Trust me, you will love her!”  
Lee didn’t even have to imagine his mother’s smile at his response as he could just hear the exhale rise from her. “I’m sure I will. Hurry back. It’s going to snow soon. I’ll clean out the boxes from the guest room and find some clean clothes for her.”  
Lee hung up the phone and practically threw it into his flannel jacket pocket with a beaming smile.  
He smiled at the streets. He wanted to cheer right then and there, but he held himself back. His excitement lashed out of his arm though as it jolted out to express his current triumphant and giddy emotion until his brain and body stopped him.  
He managed to immediately compose himself, managing to clear his throat and return the relaxed gaze and chill grin before turning around and making his way back into the restaurant.  
He pushed the door in and approached the table, sliding into his seat. “Sorry about that. My mom called.”  
Claire nodded, but it was soft and not the timid soft she was known for the entire time Lee has known her. It was less reserved and more dejected.  
Lee leaned back in his chair as he understood. “Your uh… parents never called you, did they?” he gently asked.  
She gently shook her head. “They never even gave me a phone.” her voice shook.  
An audible sniff left her. Lee sighed in sympathy for her as a hurt expression began to rise in his face but he managed to hide it.  
Their waiter than approached. “Hello, would you two like anything else?”  
Lee looked to Claire to see if she would like any desert but she didn’t respond. Lee looked up to him. “Just the check please.”  
He nodded. “Alright, I’ll be right back,” he said, grabbing the two empty plates and carrying them away.  
Lee took another satisfying sip from his cappuccino before their waiter returned in not even ten seconds, handing him the black folder. “Here you go,” he presented.  
Lee took it from him, saying: “Thank you. Have a nice night,” as he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his wallet.

With that, the two made their leave out of the small restaurant. Lee pulled the door open as it’s bell chimed and they stepped out into the open night.  
The two stopped as Lee stuffed his hands into his brown flannel jacket to hide them from the cold. Claire just stood shyly nearby.  
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Lee started up a conversation.  
Claire lifted her head to him and shook it. “No. It was really good. Thank you.”  
The sky was still spitting thin drops of rain, but the clouds rumbled again to signal the oncoming storm.  
“Uhm, thanks,” Claire shyly said again. “You didn’t need to do that-”  
“But I did,” Lee gently interrupted. “Because I care.”  
Claire stared at him for a moment before Lee leaned forward slightly and offered his hand. “It was nice to meet you, Claire.”  
Claire stared at his hand for a moment before gently taking the handshake with a weak grin.  
Lee smiled warmly back. Despite the shallow emotions she was giving, he could tell she enjoyed the dinner and her time with him, despite it being awkward for her at first. “I hope you have a good Christmas. I know you’ll find a proper home soon.” his smile then grew ever so slightly. “In fact, I feel like it might be sooner than you think,” he subtly put it.  
Claire’s eyebrows raised in bemusement, but she shrugged it off with his hopeful enthusiasm.  
Lee broke the stare he had with her for a moment as he turned his head to the wall of the diner they just left. A stand with fabric bags hung onto them. A sign lined the top, reading: ‘Free Bag To Take To Carry Leftovers!’  
Lee reached over and pulled one off and brought it closer to him. He looked at it for a moment. It looked like a good size to hold a good few items for transport. Claire stared in confusion at the bag in his hand before he lifted his head to her. “You have anything special at your... alley?” he calmly asked, raising a brow.  
Claire stood for a moment. “Just the blanket and maybe a few things,” she replied with a shrug.  
Lee handed her the bag. “Here. You’re gonna need this,” he said as she caught it by surprise before he began to take the lead in the direction of her alleyway.  
“What? Why? What are we doing…?” she softly yet curiously asked.  
Lee took the two steps before stopping and looked to her with a chill and compassionate smile, eyes relaxed as he tilted his head to look over his shoulder to her, as he calmly replied, “Hopefully, giving you the best Christmas present you’ll ever have.”


End file.
